I want to share a fun story from our experience of learning culture (way of living or doing life) here in Senegal. I must admit that too often I think of the things that are different from home and that I am having difficulty adjusting to. When I do this, I miss out on so much that is positive about the culture here in our new home, Senegal.
One of the things that takes up a considerable part of our days here in Senegal is getting our kids to and from school. We have experimented with different ways of getting this accomplished. Taking the city bus, taking taxis, taking the bus one way and a taxi the other way, getting a taxi for the round trip etc. After all of this experimenting, we were beginning to think about trying to find a taxi driver and make an agreement for him to do the round trip every morning and afternoon for an agreed upon taxi fare. An aspect of culture here is that you have to barter with the taxi driver for the fare EVERY time. Each taxi driver may or may not be willing to adjust there fare, so you may have to wait for several taxis to go by.
One evening I was down visiting our friend Waly at the boutique (corner store). Waly’s friend and neighbor, Mbarick came into the store and was sitting watching TV. Mbarick then said something to Waly in a local language (Wolof). Waly then relayed to me that if I was outside at the bus stop with the kids a few minutes before 7AM that Mbarick would take me and the kids to school each day on his way to work. Waly noticed that where our kids go to school is on Mbarick’s way to work, and he had asked Mbarick if he would be willing to drop us off at school each morning. (Right now the kids are riding to school with Sharon, who also takes her daughter to the same school each morning, but we wanted to share this story with you to get a window into our world of adjustments.)
This story fits into some of what we have observed here in Senegal which is that people just help each other. All of the time, not just close friends, but even people they don’t know. Another example, on our way back from French class we can spend a considerable amount of time at a bus stop. We started noticing partially full taxis stopping and filling up with people from the bus stop. We also noticed personal vehicles and even company vehicles stopping and people piling in for a free ride. We asked our language and culture helper about this and she shared with us that this is common here. People understand that transportation is hard, especially in our neighborhood, so they pick up those waiting for the bus and take them to the round-a-bout in the neighborhood, which gets them well on their way to where they need to go.
We are so thankful for those that are praying for us as we continue this process of understanding our new context here in Senegal and adapting to the culture here. It is all so new and different. We continue to be reminded that we are in a new culture now for just over four months. This means that, in a lot of senses, we are like four month-olds here in Senegal i.e. we have a TON to learn and we do not know very much.
Jamie Santana says
It is so cool to hear about your Senegal experiences! I so wish it were cheap and easy to travel for a visit!! I can just picture your lives there and the smells and sounds and traffic and transportation. You have now been in Senegal for longer than I was!! Lucia just pulled out my Senegal scrapbook last night and we were all kind of looking through it. So many good memories. You guys really seem happy in your pictures. I know pics can lie, but there seems to be a sense of contentment and settled-ness on your faces, if that makes sense. We are so pumped that you are doing the work that God has set out for you to do in Dakar. Keep the news coming!
Love ya,
Jamie
Mary Jo Buhs says
I am so proud of you guys for learning & adjusting, learning some more & adjusting some more and so on. I love reading your stories. It makes me realize how spoiled we are over here. Because we are so spoiled, we are also selfish. As you are learning, the way of life over there would be difficult for us to get used to. What a great lesson for your kids, though. I am praying that the sense of helping your neighbor will rub off on them and that it will be their way of life forever. That is the way God intended it to be. Love you guys and hope to hear more of your experience in growth in our Lord–that is what all of your experiences are you know.
mj
Rick Maupin says
Jenny and Jonathan,
Love your heart for assimilating and praying that God will continue to reveal Himself to you. So appreciate your love for the people of Senegal. May the Lord use you as His vehicle to take others to the foot of the cross–and may the people you meet through your ministry be transformed by the love of Christ revealed through you and your family. I continue to pray for James and Jada, that God would bring swift and complete healing from asthma and its symptoms.
Be of good cheer,
Rick
Ann Hennings says
Love it!!!
Keep your eyes open and look for more great deals & adventures.
Rob ronco would be proud.I,m picturing those clown acts where the V.W.
car keeps producing passengers.
Love You All
Rob Ronco